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Brine Ratio Calculator

Calculate how much salt to dissolve in water for a target brine salinity percentage.

Result

Salt Needed
189 g (~10.5 tbsp table salt)
Sugar (optional)
95 g
Water
16 cups (3,785 g)

Salt volume varies significantly by brand/crystal size (table salt, Diamond Crystal kosher, and Morton kosher all differ) - for accuracy, weigh salt on a kitchen scale rather than measuring by volume.

About the Brine Calculator

A brine is nothing more than salt water at a specific concentration, and that concentration, not the volume of liquid, is what determines whether a turkey or pork chop actually seasons through and stays juicy after cooking.

How It Works

The calculator converts your water amount to grams, multiplies by your target salinity percentage to find the salt weight, and optionally adds sugar as a percentage of that salt weight for a balanced brine.

salt (g) = water (g) × salinity%; sugar (g) = salt (g) × sugar ratio%

Formula & Methodology

Water weighs about 236.6 grams per US cup, so the calculator first converts your chosen water volume into grams. A 5% salinity brine, the standard for a several-hour to overnight soak, means salt should equal 5% of that water's weight. Sugar is optional and calculated relative to the salt amount rather than the water, since it's there to round out flavor rather than drive the brining process itself. The result is also shown in tablespoons of table salt as a rough kitchen measure, though weighing is more reliable since salt crystal size varies a lot by brand.

Examples

Standard overnight turkey brine

16 cups of water at 5% salinity needs about 189g of salt, roughly 10.5 tablespoons of table salt, for an overnight brine.

Quick 1-hour chicken brine

8 cups of water at 6% salinity needs about 95g of salt, appropriate for a short, strong brine before a quick roast.

Advantages

  • Calculates salt by weight relative to water, which is far more consistent than volume measurements
  • Includes an optional sugar ratio tied to the salt amount for balanced flavor
  • Offers three preset salinity levels matched to different brining times

Common Mistakes

  • Measuring brine salt by volume without accounting for the crystal size of the specific salt brand used
  • Using a strong, short-brine salinity for an overnight soak, which oversalts the meat
  • Skipping the weighing step entirely and eyeballing a "handful of salt" per gallon

Edge Cases to Watch For

  • Table salt, Diamond Crystal kosher, and Morton kosher salt all pack to very different volumes for the same weight, so measuring brine salt by tablespoons instead of a scale can be off by a wide margin.
  • A stronger brine (6%) is meant for a short soak of an hour or less, not a longer one, since it draws in salt faster and can oversalt the meat if left too long.
  • Very lean or delicate proteins pick up salt faster than a large, dense turkey, so brining times need to scale down even at the same salinity.

Common Use Cases

  • Brining a whole turkey or chicken before roasting
  • Preparing pork chops or a pork loin for a quicker weeknight brine
  • Scaling a brine recipe up or down for a different bird size or container
Written & fact-checked by the Calculateus TeamLast updated August 5, 2026How we verify our formulas

Frequently asked questions

What salinity percentage should I use?

5% is a commonly used standard for a several-hour to overnight brine on poultry - lighter brines (3%) work for longer soaks or more delicate proteins, while stronger brines (6%+) are used for quick brines of an hour or less.

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Conclusion

Salinity percentage, not a fixed cup measurement, is what actually controls how a brine performs, which is why professional kitchens weigh salt rather than scoop it. Matching the salinity to the brining time, light and long or strong and short, keeps the meat seasoned through without turning it into a salt lick.